For those bent on seeing a reinvention of the way game stories are conveyed, Uncharted 2’s continued cinematic ambition will leave few convinced. To be sure, this is developer Naughty Dog’s evermore realised attempt at replicating film; peerlessly acted and its action keenly staged. Continue »
If the original Call of Juarez proved developer Techland’s ability to mine the Western for its tropes, then its predecessor shows an equivalent ability in the direction of design. What was once a game of rugged stealth and broken platforming, redeemed somewhat by competent action, Bound in Blood has cleansed much of its forebear’s identity for an adherence to Infinity Ward’s formula. Continue »
Implementation can only carry imitation to a point. If Dark Sector’s soulless, emo-tinged Hayden Teno is anything to go by, his BioShock-style elemental powers slapped onto ubiquitous cover mechanics, a game can be stitched together with scarcely a blemish, but it’s the seams of construction that reveal the patchwork within. Continue »
Before slabs of towering concrete were dropped in, the metal twisted into devastated shapes, Killzone 2 clearly banked that it all begins with the simple fun of movement within a space. Because even though they radiate an orange, almost perfectly menacing glow, Helghast eyes don’t constitute a game on their own. Continue »
If copycats are the finest form of compliment, then Epic Games’ gunmetal grime would be tenfold the worth of Rare’s cartoony colour. But contrary to Gears of War’s replicable machismo, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts’ keen sense of humour is an industry one-off – dealing in distinct dry wit while others brood. Continue »
Anonymity is buffer for consequence. Perhaps that’s why in our era religious texts and pitchforks have been replaced by keyboards and broadband connections. Granted, we live in a time of donning masks: the lonely are led to Second Life, videogames imitate power fantasy, and intolerance is epitomized by a faceless crowd, who stare at computer screens and treat dissonance as a disease. Continue »
Too much of a good thing always has its eventual consequence, no matter how you shake it. A lifetime supply of a favourite food will either prove exhaustive within a month, or turn you fat over years. Everything requires balance.
I have the opportunity, owed to some consistent work on this site, to get many games without the need to consistently pinch for pennies. And, on one hand, that means my one man show can roll out the content carpet often. But, on the other, it rests entirely on my will to plough through and review each one to its fullest extent. Continue »